Patriarch is a high-ranking bishop in certain Orthodox and Catholic churches. Patriarch may also refer to: Patriarch (Buddhism), a historic teacher who transferred the teachings Patriarch (Latter Day Saints), the Melchizedek Priesthood office in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Patriarch (magazine), a defunct American magazine that espoused Biblical patriarchy Patriarchs (Bible), prominent figures in the Hebrew scriptures, especially Abraham, Isaac and Jacob A male ruler (of a tribe, family, etc.) in a traditional patriarchy Patriarch, the sailing ship used to transport the Whitbread Engine A character in the video game Killing Floor "The Patriarchs" (poem) , poem by Simon Armitage on the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh See also Matriarch (disambiguation) Patriarchate, the see and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical Patriarch Patriarchalism, a seventeenth-century political theory of absolute monarchy in England Nasi or Patriarch of the Jews, the head of the Sanhedrin of Israel from 191 BCE to 425 CE Pater familias, the head of a Roman family. Supreme Patriarch or Sangharaja, a title given to senior Theravada Buddhist monks